Somalia: Puntland Troops Fight Each Other, Not Terrorists

While this al-Shabaab leader was killed, future progress against the terrorist organization in Puntland is threatened by military in-fighting.

Somalia’s forces in Puntland State have turned their guns against one another, leading to fears that al-Shabaab could take advantage to establish their base in the area.

Puntland’s armed forces are expected to fight al-Shabaab and Islamic State terrorists.  However, according to the excerpted accompanying article from a Kenyan media group’s publication, The East African, the military members from this autonomous, federal state of Somalia recently turned their weapons on each other in the port town of Bossaso.  Specifically, fighting occurred between forces loyal to Puntland’s government and an elite antiterrorism brigade known as the Puntland Security Force (PSF).  Heavy and light arms were used in the fighting, reportedly intense at times, resulting in both combatant and civilian casualties.

Purportedly, Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni’s attempt in November to sack Mohamud Osman Diyaano, the director of the PSF, was the cause of the hostilities.  The same decree that dismissed Diyaano also appointed Brigadier General Mohamed Amin Abdullahi as his replacement.  As the article notes, Diyaano rejected the move and, along with top PSF officers, declared the dismissal and replacement to be illegal.

There are concerns that the clash between the two components of the armed forces will weaken its capabilities and resolve to combat al-Shabaab and the Islamic State.  Unlike neighboring Somaliland, which has declared its independence from Somalia and wishes to be recognized as a sovereign nation, Puntland has decided to remain part of Somalia.  Puntland’s contribution to combating al-Shabaab and the Islamic State is valued and important, and any distraction from its military objective benefits these terrorist organizations.  Unfortunately, the terrorists threaten the stability not just of Puntland but of the entire geostrategic nation of Somalia, whose neighboring waters see tremendous amounts of tanker traffic helping to supply the world with oil.

Source:

Abdulkadir Khalif, “Puntland soldiers turn weapons on each other,” The East African (a Kenyan media group), 25 December 2021.  https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/puntland-soldiers-turn-weapons-on-each-other-3662910

Somalia’s forces in Puntland State have turned their guns against one another, leading to fears that al-Shabaab could take advantage to establish their base in the area.

In the past couple of weeks, an armed clash in the port city, some 1,500km northeast of Mogadishu, has seen the law enforcers mostly engage in vicious fights, rather than guarding civilians.

Neither the pro-government side nor the PSF officers have issued clear information on the status of the fighting and the casualty levels.

Bossaso, the commercial capital and the main port of Puntland, had become a ghost town as residents fled for cover on Tuesday. Businesses remained largely closed.

Image Information:

Image: While this al-Shabaab leader was killed, future progress against the terrorist organization in Puntland is threatened by military in-fighting.
Source: Wargeyska Saxafi, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Godane.jpg
Attribution: CC BY-SA 4.0